Canadian Liberation Army
The Canadian Liberation Army is coalition of raiders united through the ideal of Canadian nationalism that uses the casus belli of revenge to attack locations in the former United States. History Founding The Canadian Liberation Army started as two raider groups and two ideals, united into one. The larger group was the Peggers, led by Tarleton, who were all originally from the Peg. They raided to the south in the former United States, where the pickings were better. The other, smaller group was the Red Men, a Canadian nationalist raider band led by Cal Ulmar who typically attacked other raiders and looted old supply depots. Both were located in Manitoba and met for the first time on May 8, 2265. The Red Men had actually planned to ambush the Peggers and steal their supplies but upon seeing their size, Ulmar decided to make it a peaceful meeting instead. Tarleton welcomed Ulmar and the two and their raider bands met and socialized. Tarleton's lieutenant, Scarface Supreme, was skeptical of these newcomers with maple leaves but after Ulmar offered him some booze, Scarface softened up. Tarleton and Ulmar discussed their group's latest feats and targets. Ulmar was impressed to hear about Tarleton's raids in America, and Tarleton was equally intrigued by the Red Men's pure fanaticism and devotion to their nationalistic "cause". Cal Ulmar explained that love of country made men do strange things. After this was when Tarleton had a eureka moment. The raider took hold of Ulmar and told him that they should combine their two raider bands and ideology to create a new force in the wasteland. Ulmar, surprised but eager, tentatively accepted Tarleton's offer, and it was announced to the rest of the Red Men and Peggers. The raiders were initially confused at what was happening but were told the details of the situation by both Ulmar and Tarleton. The two groups accepted this new order and began fighting over a new name. The Red Men wanted to change the name to Canucks while the Peggers wanted to keep their old name. Cal Ulmar suggested the name Canadian Liberation Army based on some old American propaganda posters he had seen. At first, both groups disliked the name, but soon it became the compromise between the two groups. The Canadian Liberation Army was born. Toeing the Line The CLA adopted the maple leaf as their symbol and declared their presence in Manitoba. Later that same year, Cal Ulmar took his detachment of the CLA to go southeast. Tarleton protested, but he gave in eventually and let go of Ulmar. In the next year, the CLA grew quickly in size and relevance. They created a training camp, looted pre-War military equipment, and began to raid south of the border. Much loot from the south was taken back to the CLA's camp and sold to the Peg since the CLA was not regarded as a raider band there. Tarleton proceeded to parade this loot and valuables around the Peg, even as there was unrest in the streets against Mayor Zinner's regime. The CLA chose to stay out of the town's conflict but continue trading ammo and supplies. In the late 2260s, as the situation in the Peg collapsed, the CLA focused more on the south, forging deeper and deeper south. At the same time, the CLA under Cal Ulmar clashed with the warlords in the Detroit Wasteland with much blood and little gain. As the CLA's fame increased in Manitoba, they began attracting attention from other local factions, who were curious about this nationalist quasi-raider group. The Manitoba wastelanders were fine with the CLA, as they didn't attack them and sometimes gave gifts and offered protection from other raider groups. The Peg was distrustful of the CLA but still supplied them, as they paid well. Meanwhile, the Goodfellow Traveller Society was happy to find another civilized, well-traveled group in the region and invited the CLA commanders and their men to the Border Club. All the commanders accepted the invitiation and became regular patrons, often visiting the Club on their down time and making bets with the leaders of Goodfellow Traveller Society. As the 2260s ended and the 2270s began, raiding below the border became progressively harder due to harsh weather forcing settlements further south. This made CLA turn increasingly to scavenging in "the Gash", a place still ravaged from the Great War. At the same time, a new group of Badlanders known as the Yukon Pack emerged on the scene in 2271 and started raiding communities in Manitoba. Tarleton saw an opportunity to gain support and decided to start a campaign against the Badlanders, who he regarded as tribal savages and invaders. The Badlanders outnumbered the CLA and were more mobile, but the CLA was better equipped and had the support of the wastelanders. Many new members flocked to the CLA to fight the widely hated Badlanders such as Sturgeon Bill, and there was an outpouring of support from wastelanders. Skirmishes between the Badlanders and the CLA were very bloody, and other raiders got involved as well, such as André. In 2274, the Yukon Pack finally moved back north, and no Manitoba Pack would be established. The fight had been a bloody one, and the CLA had to start recruiting again to gain back its pre-war numbers. Raids to the south were scaled down until the CLA was prepared again. They managed to get back in the feel of it in 2279, when Tarleton began leading expeditions south again. One of these was to establish contact with Devil's Hands Weapons and get new weapons for the CLA. Most of them however were to the Gash to scavenge military supplies from silos and bases. The Generals' War This was how doom came to the once infamous Tarleton. Accompanied by a large CLA brigade, Tarleton was scavenging in Yates Air Force Base in the Gash, looking for some more military grade weapons, ammo, and armor. The base was abandoned and only guarded by a few robots and turrets. It just seemed so easy. The process of stripping and looting the place was going to take a few days though. A few miles from Yates AFB was Freedom's Progress, an outpost manned by the American Northern Army. The ANA troops there caught sight of "many armed men" entering the base and contacted the Army Copper. A day later, an ANA squad went into Yates AFB. The CLA and the ANA clashed, and both Tarleton and the ANA squad leader were felled. The CLA brigade, in shock, retreated from the base and headed back north, escaping any pursuit. Back at the CLA's training camp, the men were in chaos. All three remaining commanders there, André, Scarface Supreme, and Sturgeon Bill, wanted to take the role of lead commander but all lacked the initiative for fearing of pissing off the other two. This deadlock lasted a few months. There were no new raids to the south and brigades began skirmishing with each other out of tension and boredom. Rumors of a civil war began to break out. Desertions were on the uptick. This ended upon the return of Cal Ulmar from the east. Away for almost a decade, Ulmar's forces were radically different from the rest of the CLA, fighting in the Detroit Wasteland and facing constant warfare. Ulmar declared himself lead commander of the CLA and said the rest of the group had grown soft. The other commanders, led by André, proceeded to challenge Ulmar to a bet in the lounge of the Border Club to solidify his grip as lead commander. This bet was for Ulmar to eat a glass bottle, which he did quickly enough to the surprise of the commanders and disgust of the patrons of the Club. Ulmar was instantly made the lead commander of the CLA and carried out on the shoulders of his men. A lot of blood was coughed up that night. After a week or so of recovering and getting used to new leadership, Ulmar decided to go on a big raid south to strike fear into the hearts of the CLA's enemies. The CLA moved south quickly and attacked at several points such as Freedom's Progress and Brook in early 2281. Some of the attacks were successful, and others were not. However, the raids were deemed a success and much loot was hauled back to Canada. This was the CLA's last big attack south of the border, though. Ulmar has held back to small raids since the residents have fortified themselves. Now, the CLA preys mostly on caravans and small settlements, not daring to go toe to toe with the American Northern Army. Ulmar is furious at this, but sees no other alternative, as they are too small to cause any permanent damage to the ANA. Now, the CLA focuses on both sides of the border, hoping to gain more support from Canadians for nationalism and loot. This is what helped them convince the people of the Peg to let them remain in their city in 2281. Organization The Canadian Liberation Army is organized into brigades, which are commanded by "chiefs". Two or three brigades are under the command of one of the CLA's commanders, who are usually subservient to one lead commander. No real territory is held by the CLA besides its training camp near the border and few outposts in Manitoba and the northern reaches of the Badlands Territory. This makes the CLA very maneuverable but hinders them from growing any larger. Culture The Canadian Liberation Army's culture is mostly focused on nationalism and raiding but there are even divisions among these. Former Red Men and Peggers are more fanatically devoted to the ideal of Canadian nationalism while most of the others are more in it for the raiding. This devotion to nationalism mostly consists of reading pre-War Canadian books and learning more about "their own history". The raiding side mostly stays down but when commanders are lax, savagery and butchery emerge once again in the CLA. Equipment The CLA are well equipped for a raider band, but this does put them on the same level with other factions such as the American Northern Army. Most of their weapons were scavenged pre-War or shoddily homemade at first, but after striking a deal with Devil's Hands Weapons, they have become better equipped. The CLA's uniform used to be just assorted raider attire but in the 2280s, a standardized uniform has been adopted, primarily from the brigades under Tarleton's command. These are called "Canadian Armed Forces uniforms", which are really U.S. Army uniforms with resown symbols and logos. Notable Individuals Tarleton Tarleton was the primary founder of the CLA and an ardent Canadian nationalist. He had a certain vision and charisma that attracted many to him and made his men idolize him. It was unfortunate then when he was killed at Yates AFB in 2280. Tarleton was born in the Peg originally. An adventurous and impatient teen, he left at sixteen to join a raider band. The blood and guts aspect of the job bothered him at first but soon became a non-issue. Rising through the ranks, Tarleton became the leader of the his band, the Peggers, in 2260. He later gained a new lieutenant in Scarface Supreme later on, and the two had an odd sort of friendship. Soon, Tarleton and the Peggers rose in prominence for raiding south in America, richer lands than the frozen north. This idea, combined with Canadian nationalism, is what led to Tarleton's meeting with Cal Ulmar and the creation of the CLA. Tarleton, leading the larger group, became the overall leader of the CLA. Ulmar wanted to head southeast to raid while Tarleton wanted to head due south. Not wanting to split up the group so early, Tarleton let Ulmar go where he wanted and continued to raid. His increasing notoriety and bravery made him (and the CLA by extension) a big figure in the Canadian raiding community, with his reputation alone bringing in two new commanders: André and Sturgeon Bill. Tarleton became even more renowned and joined the Border Club. His campaigns against Badlanders made him even more popular. However, his reckoning came in 2280 when he and a few other members of CLA were just scavenging in the Gash in an old air force base. An ANA patrol, led by Tom Renner, recognized the CLA and attacked, with Tom Renner and Tarleton killing each other. Tarleton's death led to a brief power vacuum in the CLA and a withdrawal from raiding in south. This was ended when Ulmar returned from the Midwest and became leader, determined to carry on Tarleton's legacy. Sturgeon Bill Sturgeon Bill is the CLA's "Indian" commander and the organization's current second-in-command. He has a checkered record and a painful past. Bill or "Little Bill" as be was called was born in Sturgeon Lake in 2241, a First Nations settlement that had once been a reservation. The people there made a bare living and were poor, but they scraped by. Bill learned how to read and write from his mother and how to hunt from his father. He had a good life. This ended in 2258. A raiding party of Badlanders from the Alaska Pack came upon Sturgeon Lake and tore it apart. He witnessed his father killed resisting the Badlanders and his mother and two sister raped, then executed. Bill himself managed to run away into the wilderness along with some of the rest of his people, fleeing east. They fled southeast for about a year before being apprehended by raiders in the ruins of Saskatoon in Saskatchewan. The adults of tribe were killed while the children were incorporated into the raider band. Little Bill became known as Sturgeon Bill and quickly became a very brutal raider, taking his anger out by immolating and skinning many of his enemies. He rose to become the leader of his raider band in 2264 and expanded east, raiding several mining camps and small settlements. He became rather infamous for some time. However, upon hearing of the founding of the CLA and Tarleton's campaign against the Badlanders in 2271, Sturgeon Bill decided to join up with CLA. Many of the raiders under his command decided to desert rather than join the CLA, known for doing more dangerous work than other raiders. Sturgeon Bill himself soon served as a loyal commander of the CLA. However, he is not quite like the other commanders, preferring to stay on his own and not accepting the Border Club's invitation. This gives Bill a certain mystique to some, the image of a damaged man. Cal Ulmar The CLA's other ultra-nationalist and its current leader, Cal Ulmar was the group's co-founder and is possibly the most fanatical commander within the CLA. This makes him a very dangerous man. Ulmar was born to a single mother in Ronto and was sold to slavers to pay off a chem debt. Raised a slave, the boy became distant, aggressive, and cunning. Eventually, Ulmar was rescued by an all ghoul band of outlaws fighting slavery, who raised him as one of their own. One of the anti-slavery outlaws in particular, a ghoul who used to be a Canadian rebel, taught Ulmar about Canada's history and how to fight. When his father figure was forced to leave, and the outlaws collapsed into infighting in the late 2260s, Cal Ulmar headed west with a few friends to seek his fortunes elsewhere. This ended up being raiding, and Ulmar grew to become the leader of a close-knit, Canadian-nationalist raider band known as the Red Men. Operating in Manitoba, Ulmar preferred to prey on other raiders and loot old supply depots rather than attack "fellow Canadians". Cal Ulmar was instrumental in adding the nationalism angle in the Canadian Liberation Army when he and Tarleton founded the group. However, he always remained the junior partner in the raider coalition but did not much care as long as he could raid the United States. After the CLA was founded in 2265, Ulmar decided to head southeast to raid while Tarleton headed due south. Heading through the mostly unappealing wastelands of Minnesota and Wisconsin, Ulmar intended to attack the Detroit Wasteland and claim its "vast wealth" for Canada. He first met with Detroit's warlords in 2270 and went to war right away. This war lasted years and cost many lives, mostly wastelanders and slaves. Ulmar and the CLA took a big toll on the various groups in Detroit but were unable to take the whole city. The rise of the Army of Revolution worried Ulmar, and he felt the CLA would be swept aside if they tried to contend with this new force. Also, word from back west in 2281 told Ulmar that Tarleton had died in battle, and he was now the leader of the CLA. Not wanting his position to be usurped and not making any progress, Ulmar razed the land he took in Detroit and went back to Manitoba. He proceeded to take power without conflict and has been the leader of the CLA ever since. Ulmar is much more brutal and coarse than many others in the CLA due to his time in Detroit. An anti-American fanatic and experienced fighter, Ulmar is the perfect fit for the CLA. André André is less oriented towards Canadian nationalism, as he was born in Quebec and is more mercenary than the other CLA commanders. Recruited along with his raider band by Tarleton, André's flashy personality and passionate speeches have endeared him to many in the CLA, if not his loyalty. He is the lady's man of the CLA commanders and not willing to take no for an answer. André was born in 2249 in a small French-speaking village in Quebec to well-off parents. He and his siblings grew up safe, being taught how read, write, and do mathematics. However, this was not enough for André, who wanted "some action". So, when he turned thirteen, André joined a gang of youth that went out into the countryside that vandalized property and took chems. This went on for about five years, but when André's gang attacked a caravan, all of gang was banished from the village and forced to leave the area. André, a quick thinker, took control of the gang from its leader and began to try to raid. An ambitious young man with many tastes, André was successful in raiding and recruited more to his raider group, the Tueurs. Over time, they moved into Manitoba and raided even more. André accumulated a collection of sex slaves and became infamous for his love of teenage girls. André made a name for himself when he started to raid caravans from the Peg during Zinner's reign and fighting invading Badlanders in the 2270s. So, Tarleton, now head of the CLA, approached André and asked him to be part of the CLA. Flattered, André joined the CLA but was not allowed to hold a high rank in the CLA yet. He was also forced to stop raiding caravans from the Peg and redirecting his actions south. The raiding in America went off without a hitch. André was a great raider and became known for making quips before snuffing out or taking his victims. After the death of Tarleton in 2280 and the ascension of Cal Ulmar, André became a commander. He even became one of the most prominent CLA commanders when he sacked the town of Brooks. André has since stayed in the Pits region, fighting the Badlands Roughriders hoping to dislodge the ANA presence in the area while also combating the fanatic Outriggers. André is still a part of the CLA, and still enjoys good hot Cosbys. Scarface Supreme Scarface Supreme or Scarface was originally a Badlander, who was part of the Alaska Pack. He also had a different name, Slick, and was an expert tracker. That all changed in 2251. A confident young Badlander needing to prove himself, Slick first proved himself by going into the Northern Wastes and killing a Snow Bear in his Hunting Rite. After returning, Slick jockeyed for the honor of bearing the Pack Standard. Usually reserved for only the greatest warrior in the Pack, Slick wanted to show that he was the best of the best. In 2250, Slick fought the other claimants to the Standard and finally beat the standard bearer himself in a close duel. Slick carried the standard in the battle for the first time in 2251, against ghoulified soldiers in the ruins of Anchorage. The rash young Badlander went into battle bearing the Pack Standard in one hand and a hand flamer in the other. The first few battles were easy enough, with the ghouls retreating further into the ruins. Slick and the rest of the Pack forged deeper. This turned out to be a trap, with the ghouls booby trapping the ruins and being aided by their feral brethren. Many Badlanders of the Alaska Pack were slain that day. Seeing his best friend injured by a tripwire, Slick put down all his equipment at the moment (including the Pack Standard) and carried his friend out of the firefight. When Slick came back for his equipment, it was all gone. This caused Slick to go into a panic, and he combed over the ruins desperately. Instead of finding the Pack Standard, Slick found his Pack, who questioned him on where the Pack Standard. After some protest, Slick squeaked out that he had lost it. The Pack went wild and beat Slick black and blue. Slick knew this was only the beginning. The Alaska Pack carried out brutal rituals on Slick, scarring him and branding his face. After a week or so of torture, Slick was unleashed into the wasteland with his marks of shame. Slick knew the only chance he had was retrieving the Pack Standard in Anchorage. He spent a year combing through Anchorage searching for the Pack Standard. Slick was desperate to find it and sold everything he had (including his body a few times) to find it. The only thing he wanted was to rejoin the Pack. As it turned out, the Pack Standard was recovered, but not by Slick. It was by some young pup that didn't deserve the fame. Some arrogant pup had taken the Pack Standard while he had to remain an exile in the wasteland. That was what broke Slick. It was then that he saw through the Badlanders' tribal mumbo-jumbo, and he knew there was no going back to his own Pack. Slick even abandoned his old tribal name and decided to head east, as a man with no name. A scarred drifter with a mysterious past who would look for someplace where he could be happy again, where he could have a purpose again. And so he wandered. After three years of wandering around the Canadian wasteland, the man with no name headed through the former provinces until he came to Manitoba. From there, he went to the Peg where he rested for a while. This turned out to be longer than, he expected and the drifter once known as Slick took a job as bouncer to one of the local casinos. His terrifying visage and fighting skills made him known to many in the Peg, and he was given the nickname Scarface Supreme. While he was in the town, Scarface Supreme was approached by a tall man in a well-cut uniform. This man introduced himself as Tarleton and asked Scarface to join his raider gang. He was reluctant at first, but Scarface decided that if violence was all he was good at, why not? Scarface Supreme joined the Peggers in 2261 and over time reached a high position in the gang. When the Peggers helped create the CLA, Scarface was made one of its first commanders. Since then, he began to loosen up. Although Scarface remained a nihilist who cared little for life, he began to at least take it with a sense of humor, seeing the CLA as having "a new Pack". Scarface Supreme often frequents the Border Club and gets along famously with the other patrons. Halverston Manglage One of if not the oldest surviving members of the CLA, Manglage is the last surviving Ash Tear Priest and a life-long raider. Formerly following Cal Ulmar and his faction into Detroit, Manglage would lead a group of holdouts after Ulmar left. Broadcasting from a small transmitter, he has rebuilt the death cult of his childhood, human sacrifice and all. He has maintained the Nationalistic tone of the CLA as well however, stating his continued loyalty every few months. Quotes By About Category:Groups Category:Badlands Category:Raiders Category:Manitoba